Crossing The Border With Fossils

[bone digger]

!

[Frank Menser]

Am I reading this right? I didn't know that Moroccans were native Americans......

(sarcasm fully intended)

[Auspex]

Just mail the stuff home and be done with it. If a customs declaration on the package is necessary, they are "geologic samples for educational purposes".

[Shamalama]

Mail 'em home, takes longer but less hassle. Or just lie and don't declare. I think that many border guards have been told to be more wary about fossils. The intent to to prevent someone from hauling out a paleontological treasure but more often they think any little thing is valuable since they don't know or understand what really is. See also, any US legislation trying to prevent fossil collecting on public land.

[Shamalama]

Just mail the stuff home and be done with it. If a customs declaration on the package is necessary, they are "geologic samples for educational purposes".

Beat me to it! I've used that same declaration anytime I mail anything overseas. You can try "Research Samples" too and make sure to tell them there is no real value so they don't tax you. Had some problems with packages I sent to a friend on Alberta like that. The Mounties were holding the package until he came down and paid some ridiculous tax.

[tracer]

rather than get involved in any very, very conspicuously public online conspiracies with people who won't volunteer to pay your bills while you're locked away, why don't you contact the proper authorities in canada now, get something in writing stating what the regs are, and carry that with you to show the confused border centurions...

[fossisle]

rather than get involved in any very, very conspicuously public online conspiracies with people who won't volunteer to pay your bills while you're locked away, why don't you contact the proper authorities in canada now, get something in writing stating what the regs are, and carry that with you to show the confused border centurions...

Tracer has the right idea, if you can site the statute concerning fossil imports into Canada then their should be no argument! I know several countries have bans on fossil exports like Argentina but I don't think Morocco is one as they seem to be selling tons (literally) of them.

[tracer]

oh, i wasn't talking about you, and heck, i wouldn't know a conspiracy if it bit me on the bohind. i was talking about those jokes slung around advisin' tax evasion and falsifying governmental records, even though i know they're just kidding.

the beef i have with relying on info from people not in positions of authority with the regulatory entity is that if the info is wrong, or even if it's right, it doesn't necessarily count with them. if you had a letter from the regulatory entity stating what you can do, showing that to the uncertain inspector might work a lot better at smoothing things out than telling him that a guy online who knows about fossils told you it was OK. your own two experiences were very different from each other, and the next probably will be unlike the first two. but what is a given is that if you confront a low-level flack with an unknown situation, he'll probably at a minimum hassle and delay you until he satisfies himself that he's gotten the matter comfortable in his head and won't get jammed up over it. your ability to help accurately, confidently, and congenially assist him in reaching a comfort level with what you're doing is the issue.

i've crossed a few pretty tight borders in the past, and am convinced that on at least one occasion i kept myself and several associates from being somewhat indefinitely delayed. but it was probably just due to my good looks. but i've also always been a bit concerned to know what i was doing on both sides of the equation - from both countries' perspective. is it ok to leave one country doing what i'm doing, and is it ok to enter the other country doing what i'm doing?

<snoopy dancing, and occasionally putting one foot out and tapping it on the ground like i'm stepping over an imaginary border>

[Traviscounty]

Tracer has the right idea: "your ability to help accurately, confidently, and congenially assist him in reaching a comfort level with what you're doing is the issue."

Sometimes you have to enable someone to make the decision. Or, as I like to call it, "people manipulation"

[crinus]

I do it all the time, the other way around. Never ever had a problem. I have only done it a couple of time going into Canada. I have a Nexus card so if I cross at a reasonable hour I don't have to talk to a border guard. In my application for the card, I had an interview with both US and Canadian customs. In both cases, I mentioned that I collect fossils and that I would probably have fossils in my truck as I crossed the border. Both custom officials said that was fine. I suspect that your border guards are ignorant of the law. I would follow thru on the suggestion that you talk to someone at Customs Canada that actually knows the law and then get in in writing and carry that with you.

I have friends that live in Canada and come to collect in the states. Never heard anyone mention that they have problems crossing the border into Canada. It does help that we have a very famous fossil collecting locality 30 miles into Canada and both sides of the border are constantly hearing from people that say they are going/went fossil collecting.

crinus

[raptorclaws]

The legit way to bring them across is to say 'these are fossils and there are no restrictions'. Unfortunately the customs people don't have a clue. Fossils come under the jurisdiction of provinces in Canada. In Canada 'public land' is provincial crown land whereas in the USA it is often federal jurisdiction (BLM, National forest, etc.). folks are always asking about fossil laws 'in Canada'....there are ten sets of provincial laws that vary from you can't collect anything to 'what law'. There are no 'Canadian fossil laws'.

Back to the real world of getting your fossils across. Mailing small stuff is a good idea. Saves potential hastles. I don't lie or anything else. 'Science samples for education purposes. no commercial value'. Ifyou have lots of stuff then separate it into the stuff you really want to keep and the stuff you'll only cry over. The stuff I really want to keep stays in the front of the vehicle with me and the other stuff in the trunk. Let them root through the crud if they want to. I've never had an issue.

One time we had a bunch of shark teeth. The border guard asked us if they were collected on private or government land in the USA. This was shortly after collecting vertebrates was not allowed. We returned to the US side and showed US Customs dude our teeth. After an hour or so of phone calls he said we were right and we could keep them. 'Sharks don't have bones so aren't considered vertebrates'..honest to god's truth. (You can believe me when I use god's name because I'm an orthodox atheist ).

Customs folks on the Canada/US border are bored stiff. There was a reality show on US borders a few weeks ago. It starts with Mexico/USA...drugs, guns, murders, etc.. Then they did a piece on the US/Canada border in Minnesota. The US Border Patrol arrested a Columbian trying to get 'into' Canada to visit his girlfriend....yup, LEAVE the USA. Then they went to an airport in NY and a fellow from Europe was fined $300 for not declaring as a sandwich his mother had put in his suitcase.

Assume that the Custom's dude will be a nice guy but totally ignorant of any fossil import or export laws. Always be co-operative and say every so often 'Gee, I didn't know that, thanks'.

[Shamalama]

rather than get involved in any very, very conspicuously public online conspiracies with people who won't volunteer to pay your bills while you're locked away, why don't you contact the proper authorities in canada now, get something in writing stating what the regs are, and carry that with you to show the confused border centurions...

I'm not even going to get into what the Surf Clams are doing right now to overthrow our government... but I think Jessica Simpson is involved at the highest levels. Yes, I'm talking about those thousands of little clams living in the surf zone of the beach. Think about it!

In all seriousness, I think any advice you get from any person on this forum is a bunch of hooey and one needs to make their own decisions for themselves. My philosophy in life is to listen to both sides of the arguement and then do my own research. Tracer has a good point, research what the actual regulations are and then contact your customs agency and get their official statement as to what you can and can't transport. Get it in writing and only if you have any problems again do you bring out your findings. Never a good idea to cheese off the cops by saying you know more than them.

Good luck!

Dave